In May 2006, I launched Seanachie Nights (Seanachie is the Celtic word for storyteller): a monthly series of musical storytelling performances from Celtic and British culture that introduces the old stories - with all their comedy, tragedy, and adventure - to an adult audience.

Seanachie Nights is usually held on every third Monday of the month. Admission: Free ($9 suggested donation). Email Lynne Cullen at thetwacorbies@yahoo.com or call 207-846-1321 for further details.

Monday, September 20, 7-9 PM

Bull Feeney's Irish Pub/Restaurant, 375 Fore Street, Portland, Maine

Tim Van Egmond

Tim Van Egmond has been a gifted folksinger and storyteller for over 25 years. He blends together tales, tunes, and songs to bring you their wellspring of wisdom, humor, warmth, and excitement. Music flows in and around his stories through his singing and playing on a wide variety of traditional instruments including: hammered dulcimer, guitar, conga drum, and limberjack (a dancing wooden rhythm puppet). His dynamic style of voice and movement brings stories to life, and his knack for encouraging folks to join in makes for high-spirited and engaging programs.

Tim has been chosen for the New England States Touring Program (under the New England Foundation for the Arts), and the Massachusetts Cultural Council's Creative Teaching Partners. Renowned author and storyteller Jane Yolen has said of him, "Tim is a triple treat. He can sing, he can play a variety of wonderful instruments, and he can tell whopping good tales!"

For more information, visit www.timvanegmond.com and timvanegmond.blogspot.com

Monday, October 18, 7-9 PM

Bull Feeney's Irish Pub/Restaurant, 375 Fore Street, Portland, Maine

Tba soon - watch this space!

Monday, November 22, 7-9 PM

Bull Feeney's Irish Pub/Restaurant, 375 Fore Street, Portland, Maine

Ring in Winter!

(please note that this is on the fourth Monday in November)

Come ring in winter with the Seanachie Nights Regulars (Lynne Cullen and Janet Lynch) and their special guests, AIRE (Irish American Repertory Ensemble), in an evening of japes and antics from the ancient traditions of Ireland and England. Tonight's performances will include:

An Irish Mummer's Play: watch Saint George and Saint Patrick do battle for the role of 'Top Saint'! Thrill to the ghost of Oliver Cromwell and Beelzebub forming their very own 'Axis of Evil'! Join in when everybody sings at the end!

Yuletide Tales from Victorian times!

A Traditional English singsong, and tunes on fiddle and concertina!

AIRE, Maine's Irish Theater Company, is dedicated to presenting the best of classic and contemporary Irish American theater. Their aim is to share the power and beauty of Irish drama, and raise awareness and understanding of Irish culture among New England audiences. For further information, please visit www.airetheater.com

Janet Lynch is a company member of AIRE, where she has performed in works by Brian Friel, Martin McDonagh, and J.M. Synge. In 2008, Janet debuted her portrayal of Molly Bloom from James Joyce's Ulysses at the Seanachie Nights 'Bloomsday show'.

Lynne Cullen is a local (seanachie) storyteller and a playwright. She is a member of LANES (League for the Advancement of New England Storytelling), MOOSE (Maine Organization Of Storytelling Enthusiasts), and the Society for Storytelling. In 2009, Lynne was awarded a MaineArts Grant to finish her full-length play: 'The Amazing Life and Mysterious End of Ragana: Mistress of Illusion'.

Monday, December 20, 7-9 PM

Bull Feeney's Irish Pub/Restaurant, 375 Fore Street, Portland, Maine

Solstice Revels!

This show will feature a celebration of the Yuletide Season with storytellers Sebastian Lockwood (reading 'A Child's Christmas in Wales' by Dylan Thomas and 'A Christmas Story' by Truman Capote), Lynne Cullen (telling unusual Christmas legends), and fiddler Janet Lynch, with stories and songs. The evening will include carol singing, seasonal tales, and a great deal of loud good cheer!

Sebastian Lockwood is a professional storyteller who teaches Storytelling and Anthropology at the New Hampshire Institute of Art in Manchester, New Hampshire, and occasionally in the Art & Creativity Programs for Lesley University and Endicott College. For further information about Sebastian, please visit www.Lumenarts.com.

Janet Lynch is a company member of AIRE (Irish American Repertory Ensemble), where she has performed in works by Brian Friel, Martin McDonagh, and J.M. Synge. In 2008, Janet debuted her portrayal of Molly Bloom from James Joyce's Ulysses at the Seanachie Nights 'Bloomsday show'.

Lynne Cullen is a local (seanachie) storyteller and a playwright. She is a member of LANES (League for the Advancement of New England Storytelling), MOOSE (Maine Organization Of Storytelling Enthusiasts), and the Society for Storytelling. In 2009, Lynne was awarded a MaineArts Grant to finish her full-length play: 'The Amazing Life and Mysterious End of Ragana: Mistress of Illusion'.

Other Lynne Cullen events

Friday, September 24, 7:30 PM

Acorn Productions Studio, Dana Warp Mill, 90 Bridge Street, Westbrook, Maine

In 2007, I wrote and performed a one-act play as part of the Cassandra Project (Portland's festival of women performers) about a mysterious female magician who burned brightly during the 'Roaring Twenties', before perishing in a theatre fire on Halloween Night. In 2009, I was awarded a Maine Arts Commission Good Idea Grant to rewrite Ragana, and transform it into a full-length play. After months of work, Ragana is now ready for the public; there will be a staged, dramatic reading in the Acorn Studio Theatre.

THE STORY:
New York City - On Halloween Night 1929, the tragic Babylonian Hall Theatre Fire took the life of Ragana, the world's first female illusionist. 1934, five years later, Howie McNabb, Ragana's former stage manager and lover, is still drinking away his grief. But when an enigmatic European publisher hires Howie to write a book about Ragana, he finds himself once more drawn into the dark, daring, and dangerous world of conjuring, where nothing is ever what it seems.

For directions to Acorn studios: www.acorn-productions.org/pages/directions.html

Saturday, October 16

Victoria Mansion, 109 Danforth Street, Portland, Maine

Tales of Terror!

Two Performances: 6-7:30 PM and 8-9:30 PM
Tickets: $20, $15 for members, $10 for children

What could be a more perfect setting than a big, Victorian mansion for experiencing two wickedly creepy tales, by two masters of horror? Join me for a chilling performance of 'The Beckoning Fair One' by Oliver Onions (1873-1961), which has inspired writers of horror from H.P. Lovecraft to Stephen King, and 'The Masque of the Red Death' by Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849). To set the tone, I will first recite 'The Haunted Chamber', a melancholy poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882).

This evening will begin with tours of the house, dimly lit at gas light levels and complemented by eerie, nineteenth-century music. Ghoulish guides will grant you passage through the dark halls of the Mansion!

To participate in this terrifying evening, you must reserve your space in advance... if you dare! Please call 207-772-4841 (ext. 10) or email information@victoriamansion.org For further information, please visit www.victoriamansion.org

If you would like to learn how to tell traditional stories then why not sign up for my new workshop! See New Workshop for more information.

If you would like a storytelling performance for your school, organization or event, please see Programs and Workshops for further details.

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